Factors contributing to intrinsic loading capacity in silica-based packing materials for preparative anion-exchange protein chromatography.

Properties of the matrix and stationary phase which affect the intrinsic loading capacity of silica-based packing materials for preparative anion-exchange chromatography of proteins were investigated. Polyethyleneimine-coated controlled porosity glass beads ranging from 100 to 2000 A in pore diameter were used to evaluate the effects of pore diameter and surface area. Protein binding was found to depend on accessible, rather than total, support surface area. Consequently, wide-pore, high surface area media provide maximum intrinsic loading capacity. Increasing the number of positively charged sites on the stationary phase by increased coating or by quaternization of amines increases hemoglobin-binding capacity.